Legislative Newsletter #14

13 February 2017

The General Assembly met on Tuesday, February 7 for our 13th day of the 40 day legislative session. Committees have been very busy hearing bills with some passing out of the Senate and moving on to the House for their consideration.

Two special occasions were recognized last week. On Thursday, February 9th, we recognized February 9, 2017 as Stop Violence Against Women Day, and on Friday, February 10th we recognized Atlanta Braves President, John Schuerholz on his recent selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2017 inductees.

The House and the Senate neared agreement on the 2017 Amended Budget after the Senate passed HB 43, the amended FY 2017 budget 53-1. Leaders in both houses are looking to resolve differences and we expect the House to agree to final passage by the end of this week.

SB 12 The purpose of this legislation is to increase access to preventative dental care for the under-served population across Georgia. This bill authorizes licensed dental hygienists to perform certain procedures under the direct supervision of a dentist. This legislation was fully supported by members of the Georgia Dental Association and the Georgia Hygienists Association.

SB 70 passed, which will extend the sunset provision for hospital provider payment fees from June 30, 2017, to June 30, 2020. These fees are necessary for obtaining federal funding for Medicaid financing used by our local hospitals for their Indigent Care Trust Fund.

I hope you will take the opportunity to review my weekly updates to stay informed on legislative matters that affect our district and state.

I am always eager to hear from you. Please feel free to contact me at anytime.

Sincerely,Steve Henson

Newsworthy

I am proud to have joined eleven of my Senate Democrat colleagues to co-sponsor Senate Bill 119, also know as the Georgia Civil Rights Act. We introduced this bill to ensure that all Georgians regardless of their race, religion, national origin, disability, sex age, gender identity, or sexual orientation are protected against discrimination in Georgia. This Bill would bring the state in line with 45 other states and federal standards that already ban discrimination based on race, gender, ancestry, and religion. The measure would add protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity, which are protections not included in federal law.

Stop Violence Against Women Day at the CapitolStone Mountain Women’s Club at the Capitol